The real winners in the game of political donations

[Commentary] Although the outcome is far from clear, the stage appears set for a blockbuster election season for congressional incumbents and wannabes. Following the Supreme Court's landmark ruling removing spending limits on corporations' political donations, those inside the Beltway are expecting businesses across the spectrum -- including telecom heavyweights -- to kick in record funds to federal candidates.

Indeed, AT&T--the nation's second-largest wireless carrier--ranks as the country's single most generous corporate political contributor, according to detailed figures provided by the Center for Responsive Politics. The carrier sits at the top of the organization's "heavy hitters" list, having donated a whopping $44.2 million to Republicans and Democrats during the past ten years via soft money, political action committees and individuals (and that number only counts federal contributions). Thanks to the Supreme Court's recent ruling, that tally could well balloon dramatically in the coming years. Other big spenders in the telecom space include Verizon Communications, Microsoft, T-Mobile USA parent Deutsche Telekom, Motorola and others. But I suspect the real winners--aside from triumphant candidates--will be the media companies paid to carry the ads for both the left and the right. And thanks to the growing importance of wireless as an advertising medium, mobile marketers could get a major boost from Election Day.